In his 10-year NBA career, Nate Robinson made a name for himself by being the 3-time Slam Dunk contest winner. But he made a return to the headlines this year when he announced his dire physical condition.
The former Knicks PG announced last month in an interview with the Daily Mail that he is suffering from a severe kidney condition, end-stage renal disease (ESRD), that can have life-threatening risks. “I know that I don’t have long if I can’t get a kidney…I know I’m not going to have long to live. So I just want to make the best of it as much as I can,” said Robinson in the interview.
He highlighted the perils of his condition, saying that he cannot miss a single dialysis session and wouldn’t last for a week without it. Thankfully, his body is compatible with the process, as many bodies reject the external process.
“They clean my blood to get my toxins out. And they help me out a lot because that’s how I’m living,” explained Robinson. He got to know about the condition back in 2006 when he was with the NY Knicks and was foretold that he might have a kidney failure issue later down the line. The worst happened, and now the 5’9″ guard lives through it daily.
After a brief stint with the Lakers in 2015, Robinson went abroad to ply his trade, and in 2018, his condition worsened. Robinson’s boxing match with Jake Paul didn’t help his cause and might have caused damage to his already failing body in 2020. In 2022, it reached a critical point, and since then, his search for a new kidney is still on. To help the situation, prominent names from past and present of the league are rallying behind the ailing guard as a plea for help gets louder with each passing day.
NBA Stars of Past and Present Rally Behind Nate Robinson
Recently, Nate Robinson’s college basketball team, the Washington Huskies, shared a video. In the video, Robinson talks about his condition, which soon garnered support from the NBA community.
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Jamal Crawford shared the video on his X (formerly known as Twitter) handle, and The Bulls star Zach LaVine also shared it on his IG story. “Yes, I’m dealing with this and I’m gonna beat this. This is something I can’t do without you guys. Without the help of my fans, my friends, my family, my peers,” said Robinson in the video. Crawford shared it with the quote, “All the posting we do about stuff that doesn’t matter. We need everyone with this one.”
The video’s motive was to invite people with A+ and O blood groups to register for donations on the UW Medicine website. Former NBA star Nick Young also commented on the post, showing solidarity with Nate’s battle. The whole NBA is praying for Robinson to dunk this challenge just like he used to do in his heydays.
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